 Marking our run-ups for the opening spell of cricket on the sports max zone 31 matches have now been completed in the Indian Premier League Which continues to see West Indian players grabbing some of the spotlight the latest West Indian to spark fireworks at the tournament Sun and the Rhine The 35 year old struck his maiden T-20 hundred 109 or 56 deliveries in the Kolkata night riders high scoring loss to the Windy skipper Robman Powells and Shimron Hetmar's Radiston Royals in a match live on sports max earlier on Tuesday Narain who played on the West Indies T-20 World Cup winning squad in 2012 spanked 19 Boundaries 13 4 and 6 6's at a strike rate of 194.64 his sentry pushed the night riders to 2 23 for 6 from their 20 overs But Josh Butler's unbeaten 107 eclipsed the Trinbegonians ton leading Radiston to 224 for 8 and victory by two wickets Narain's IPL exploits on Tuesday Was almost like rubbing salt into the wounds of Maroon fans after making himself Unavailable for the upcoming T20 World Cup at home having announced his retirement from international cricket five months ago When asked by commentator and two-time T20 World Cup winning teammate Samuel Badri about his participation at the upcoming edition of The World Cup in a post-match interview at Eden Gardens on Sunday Narain simply said I will be watching from home Badri Nikhil Utam Chandani joins us for a zoom to delve into Narain's comments Nikhil always a pleasure talking cricket with you here on the sportsmax zone We know how West Indian cricket fans are especially knowing that we are two-time champions of T20 World Cup cricket and seeing Narain exploding in the IPL Makes you feel as if He should be a part of the current T20 setup But he isn't having announced his retirement from international cricket your thoughts on the conversations that we are getting from Narain and Badri pausing the posing the question to him and reports about Robman Powell trying to lure him back into the international game Yeah, I think Lance everyone any smart person in charge of the West Indies cricket will be trying their utmost best to get this guy To play the T20 World Cup. I mean you look at that performance today I think to score his first professional hundred at 35 years old just tells you about him How I think the longevity he's created in this T20 format then followed up with a great performance with ball in hand But I think when you look at what he has done the body of work that he has achieved I would back him in any conditions anywhere in the world and to have a home World Cup where obviously, you know His conditions extremely well it would be so fitting to have a stalwart in the final 11 It's been interesting because he hasn't really given us a reason back in November last year when he retired or even now He hasn't really given us a reason why he's not playing for the West Indies But it seems that he's decided and made up his mind that he doesn't want to play He did say today In a similar interview with that, you know, you never know what the future holds But you heard Robin Paul after the game saying they've continuously tried different things whether it be poor and Paul Art Bravo someone to talk to him to try to get him back there We'll never know but I mean he might have seen came out of retirement a couple weeks ago to play the T20 World Cup So let's see. Yeah, you know what can we try to pinpoint some of the issues probably surrounding his international campaign because there is a view that because of Him being called with his bowling action People feel that he would be much more under the microscope in an ICC format tournament As opposed to franchise cricket and that is probably a deterrent There is the other view that in 2021 when he wanted to play under the new captain then Kyron Pollard who is his longtime friend He was deemed as failing a fitness test or not fit enough and the West Indies team Ignored his desire to play in the 2021 World Cup and Interestingly, it was a similar situation where he had starred of the 2021 IPL tournament Which was played late in the year you might remember because of the COVID-19 It was paused and then returned and he at that point was shining in the IPL But the West Indies said he didn't meet their fitness standards. Do you think that could actually be a part of sort of tainting his desire for West Indies cricket I Think on the second point Lance, I believe it's a new administration. Oh, you've got high coach Darren Sammy He was in Barbados a couple days ago in a press conference that he mentioned sort of the good relationship He's built with Sunni on the right having captained him He's been in communication with him throughout the CPL, etc So I would think that Narain has sort of put that past him and I hear the perspective about the action But what I think is you've got the IPL which probably is the second biggest tournament in the world after the ICC major event So I do hear some people saying, you know, maybe there's more scrutiny at an international event But the IPL has to be real the amount of eyes on it around the world Here on sports mass everyone watches this tournament. So you do need some level of confidence to play So I think in terms of the action I'm not sure if that is the reason but again This is all just speculation because he's never really came out and said, you know The reasoning why he's not playing and I think that's why there probably is a small chance He could just come back it out of retirement to play for this team one last time and aren't there international Elite umpires on the ICC roster as well on the IPL roster doing games Yeah, yeah, they've got a couple of elite members on that ICC panel And obviously they've got international level match referee's Javagal Srinath who we saw a couple days ago He's on the ICC elite panel as well So again, there is that consistency between international cricket and the IPL because it's the best of the best And they also want the best of the best match officials Yeah, and Nikhil I just want to spend some time now talking about how much of a loss will it be to this World Cup team and Yes, the World Cup team has not been named yet But without a doubt we can of course discuss what a Sunil Narain brings to a team at such a high level at the World Cup level Yeah, I think more I one of our stronger suits from a Westonese perspective has been the batting So even though yes, we're seeing these exploits with batting hand I still think he can be a bit inconsistent at times. He's just in a great purple patch But for me when I look at these videos and then I see him a couple overs there to bowling that for me Is what I think he would be such a great asset the ball and the ability sort of to have that tight economy today He bowled the 14th and 17th over he went for 30 runs in his 4 over spell That was seven and a half runs for over the rest of the bowlers in the game went at 12 runs on over So almost double. I think having a wicket-taking option We know Achilles saying his present good occasion multi But having someone who bowls the different type of spin all spin can take them all away from the left hander Just the wicket-taking option, but also a critical baller who can bowl across phases I think that's the where the Westonese can use this skill set the most Yeah, and so unfortunate despite that knock today KKR went on to lose and you know Everybody felt as if well for me personally when I saw this entry. I was like, okay. It's not a bad total I think they can go on to win only to check back the score a bit later and see they were defeated Yeah, they should have won Maria. I mean All right, Rajasthan needed 96 off the last six overs not many teams would be back to get that But we have to credit Robin Paul with that cameo Rianne Parag as well But Joss Butler that is a T20 not of the ages not only the hundred But it's the way he was struggling at first first 30 balls only 44 runs the next 30 67 runs and it's just the ability sort of to accelerate Even at a time where you're not finding your rhythm had to manage batting with the lower order as well But not many players can have that ability sort of to take the game deep but score big hundreds This is now a second hundred in the last three innings It is just remarkable what he has achieved in white ball cricket. I think he's one of the greatest of all time Yeah, and there was that Richard Mitch Stark over to Nikhil that sort of song things in Double ours favor Yeah, it's been amazing. I mean obviously there's been a lot of attention on start because of the price type But really and truly he's only had one or two really good games out of seven now So there will be some concerns there. I mean that last one people went for 18 I think about the four wides of the last ball. That's five runs It's a huge difference in and a game where you're needing 15 runs on over So definitely there's some concern, but I think he's quality enough that at some stage He will really put his hand up I mean that left arm over angle with the in swinging Yorkers We are seeing a bit more swing now in the IPL and especially at Eden Gardens So I think it helps him, but they definitely need him to fire soon Yeah And you just referenced the innings by Rob Monaco cameo not by him and the fact that he hadn't played So many of the opening games getting back to back games now Good to see the West Indies captain being a part of a double our team that that gets a win here And not only that but being a part of the intensity of a close exciting cricket Yeah, he showed his versatility today and think about that over against Narain because before I think it was this five times I'd only struck out 70 against him on the right, but took him down And I think maybe RR can back him or hit Maya a bit more at last I'm not really seeing them sort of believing them when it comes to batting spin. They're leaving them for the last five I thought today was a great opportunity to send one of them ahead of someone like Ashwin because that partnership Could have lost in the game 21 from 21 at Maya last year average 15 in the middle overs So I'm thinking maybe they can get one of them up the order Robman Paul bats at five for the West Indies So who's to say he can't do it in the IPL given what we've seen in these last couple of matches Yeah, I just want to go back quickly to Sunil Arain and the discussion that triggered this this talk with you, Nikhil because Sunil Arain even though we know of his quality and his Match-winning abilities, which was on full display today The West Indies did win the T20 World Cup in 2016 without him. He was a part of the 2012 setup But they won the 2016 without him. So do you think there could be much to do about nothing here in in this? this this newfound Narrative about Narain and his value to this T20 setup I think regardless the West Indies lands are prepared to go into it I mean look at the last 12 months There was no city on the right and they have won series So I think they will believe that their favorites with or without him But it's hard for fans around the region and around the world to see someone like this Performing so well and not think about the prospect of having him in the team. The biggest thing he adds is just the bowling I think that's probably the area where the West Indies sort of missed the most when it comes to power I don't see many teams able to match them But the bowling aspect of things the ability even in these high-scoring matches small boundaries his control of the economy His control of you know his personal skills as well He really is unmatched when it comes to T20 bowling and I think that is a suit that they could really Would love to have but then again I think Sam and his team are prepared to go into it without him because that was never really a prospect And I think they'll believe their favorites Yeah, and one of the things you can always talk about when you think about Sunil Narayan his experience because when you look at the set Up that the West Indies currently has and you know We are of course choosing our own T20 World Cup team until Darren Sammi decides to announce, right? But with the players at the West Indies selectors disposal I feel as if you can always do with some experience You can always do with that experience that Sunil Narayan brings because he has played at of course the highest level and has done really really well Yeah, that experience he has invaluable I think T20 cricket is evolving and to have someone in the thick of things the amount of franchise cricket he plays He sort of understands the change in in sort of conditions Boundary dimensions and not to mention it's a home World Cup But if we isolate the T20 World Cup in it's in Specifically full T20 World Cups for Sunil Narayan 2012-2040 He's got 15 wickets at an average of 15 So even though he missed that 2016 World Cup He was devastating for batters in the last two he played I just think with his experience the calmness that he brings and it's reflecting in his body He would just be a great asset to have but regardless the West Indies have got to whether it's with or without him They've got to be ready when that opening game comes because it'd be difficult We're seeing the power of these batters in this IPL India New Zealand South Africa They're gonna come hard at them and the bowling has let them down in the past So they've got to find ways to pick up wickets at the back end of the innings and be ready with the ball Yeah, and finally you touched on something very important there Nikhil because if you listen to Darren Sammy carefully in in his recent comments About the West Indies team preparing for the World Cup He he does admit that the bowling is the area of concern So even though we see Narayan doing so well with the bat at the moment You get the feeling that Sammy would really love to have Narayan in the setup primarily because of what his team lacks or offers in the bowling department Definitely, I think you saw how K.P.R. used Narayan today They saved him for Hepmeyer and Robin Powell because he's been so good against so many of those big hitters around the world What it allows Captain Robin Powell to do is have an option against Klaasin or against Joss Butler who he's had the better of in the past And I think that is something the West Indies probably missed now having a genuine wicket-taker who's one of the best in the world Aki Hosein is right up there but in the power play So having that other spin option again spinning them all the other way I think will be critical But again, they've got to figure out and use the options that they have and find ways to pick up wickets We're not seeing shepherd Russell bow that much at this IPL Which is slightly concerning for me, but I hope when the World Cup comes around, they'll be at their best All right, Nicola was a pleasure talking cricket with you on the sportsmax zone We continue to monitor the IPL. It is sensational. We must say that and I know that you're enjoying it just as much as we are Thanks, man, and we'll talk again soon Definitely. Thanks a lot. Yeah back with more on the sportsmax zone after this